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Consumers are chuffed with the economy according to two popular measures of consumer attitudes.  In October 2017, both measures reached levels not seen in over a decade.  Consumer Confidence jumped 5.3 points to 125.9 according to the Conference Board, a 17-year high.  The University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment recorded a tally of 100.7 or the best level in nearly 14 y

Earlier this month I was drawn to this Bloomberg headline: "Yellowstone supervolcano may erupt sooner than thought, potentially wiping out planet." Naturally I immediately logged a call to my insurance agent to make sure I would still be covered in such an event.

Personal income rose 0.4 percent in September 2017 according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.  This $66.9 billion uptick accelerated from August’s increase of 0.2 percent.  Likewise, disposable personal income, aka after-tax pay, improved 0.4 percent.  Americans used the additional take-home pay to partially fund their 1.0 percent increase in consumption.  Since out

Economic output advanced at an inflation-adjusted 3.0 percent annualized rate from July through September 2017 according to gross domestic product (GDP) figures from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. While there will be at least two more attempts to quantify output for this period, the early estimate shows output decelerated from the previous quarter’s growth rate of 3.1 percent.

Orders for durable goods jumped in September according to the Census Bureau.  Orders for wares expected to last longer than three years increased 2.2 percent or $5.1 billion to $238.7 billion.  This increase, which is the third in four months, followed August’s uptick of 2.0 percent.  Like the prior period, commercial aircraft orders led the monthly gain.

Sales of new homes surged in September 2017.  According to the Census Bureau, transactions rose to 667,000 on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis.  This is 18.9 percent above August’s upwardly revised tally of 561,000 (originally 560,000).  This jump represents the largest percentage gain in 28 years and puts the indicator at its highest level in the current economic cyc

Gaps are often associated with inefficiencies.  Take the possible space between your front door and sill for instance; it lets cold air in during the winter, not an efficient method of insulating.  Similar breaks in continuity between tiles and tubs allow water to seep into parts of a structure not designed for moisture.  When they occur in everyday scenarios, it is best to appro

Economic output improved in September according to the Chicago Fed National Activity Index.  Results from this comprehensive study of the economy jumped to 0.17 from the downwardly revised count of minus 0.37 (originally minus 0.31) in August.  Despite the monthly turnaround, the three-month moving average stayed below zero and matched the prior period’s revised tally of minus 0

Happy Fiscal New Year! As you are reading this, America has nearly completed its first month of the fiscal year 2018. The nation’s 2017 deficit tally is in; it doesn’t look good. Our country’s shortfall increased 13.7 percent for the year, reaching $666 billion.

Sales of existing homes moved against the recent declining trend during September 2017, increasing 0.7 percent. Rising to an annualized rate of 5.39 million units, this is the first uptick in four months. While the monthly move was up, the year-over-year tally dropped 1.5 percent which is the first annual decline since July 2016.